IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal made a bold statement on the prospects of experienced Indian batsmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli playing the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Dhumal said Rohit and Virat are part of India’s plans for ODIs despite being near the end of their careers.
Rohit and Virat are active only in the ODI format, so their place in the team for the 2027 World Cup is not confirmed. His inclusion will depend on form and performance over the next few years. The veterans are expected to maintain their form and fitness as they aim to help India clinch the World Cup title.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will stay here – IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal
Arun Dhumal called Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli “great” for their quality and commitment. Dhumal said that despite speculation about their future, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are far from moving away from the 50-over format.
“And then you have great players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who people think are leaving, but they are not. They are here to stay,” Dhumal said while speaking to ANI.
“And the way Rohit has shown his class in this ODI series, at that age, to be player of the match in the last game and then player of the series, it shows the kind of conviction he has, the kind of hard work he puts in,” he said.
Vaibhav is knocking on the door to be a part of Suryavanshi team – Arun Dhumal
Arun Dhumal praised India’s growing depth in talent, which also included 14-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi. He said that India’s bench strength has been discussed for years. Dhumal hinted that Vaibhav is already close to making a place in the national set-up.
“We have been talking about this bench strength of the Indian team for a long time. But look at this team, a 14-year-old wonder, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, he is knocking on the door to be a part of the team,” Dhumal said.,
After starting the series with back-to-back ducks, Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 74 off 81 balls. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma scored a century, earning him the Player of the Match award and the Player of the Series title.
The former Indian captain scored 202 runs in three matches at an impressive average of 101 and a strike rate of 85.59, which included one half-century and one century.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s breakthrough for Rajasthan Royals came during IPL 2025
Vaibhav Suryavanshi won the Super Striker of the Season award after a remarkable debut campaign for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2025. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs and finished ninth in the standings. Suryavanshi scored 252 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of more than 200.
The left-handed batsman scored 101 runs off 38 balls against a strong Gujarat Titans (GT) attack comprising Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna and Rashid Khan.
Suryavanshi also impressed in youth international cricket. He scored 143 off 78 balls against England U19 at Worcester and finished as the leading run-scorer in the five-match series with 355 runs at an average of 71.
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